101352


> 植物は水と光を必要とします

I don't understand the second particle と here. I was taught 必要があります, and I
don't understand this construction, the は is also confusing to me, I would
have used に. Shouldn't it be:

> 植物に水と光(を)必要があります

Parsed as "water and light are necessary to plants"


CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-10-16T10:04:22.730
101349
2023-10-16T16:27:35.653
2023-10-16T12:51:47.100
20551
20551
question
grammar particle-と
Role of と in 必要とします


The main difference between these two expression is that ~を必要とする "to require
something" takes noun, while ~必要がある "to need to do something" takes verb (in
連体形). So if you use 必要がある, you have to add appropriate verb like below.

> 植物は水と光を **得る** 必要があります。"Plants need to get water and light."

> 植物に水と光を **与える** 必要があります。"(Anybody or somebody) needs to give water and light
> to the plants." (This sounds bit strange if "plants" refer to those in
> wildlife, though)


CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-10-16T10:34:16.103
101350
2023-10-16T15:12:52.373
2023-10-16T15:12:52.373
57528
57528
101349
answer


The first と between 水 and 光 is "and".

The second と before します is part of the `A + を + B + とする` construction, which
means "to think of A as B", "to use A as B", "to consider A B", "to make A B",
and so on.

  * [Meaning of ~を~に(して) / ~を~として / ~を~にする / ~を~とする / ~を~にした / ~を~とした](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/73082/5010)
  * [Learn JLPT N2 Grammar: を～とする](https://japanesetest4you.com/flashcard/learn-jlpt-n2-grammar-%E3%82%92%EF%BD%9E%E3%81%A8%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E3%82%92%EF%BD%9E%E3%81%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6-oto-suruoto-shite/)
  * [を～として (o~to shite)](https://japanesequizzes.com/portfolio/%E3%82%92%EF%BD%9E%E3%81%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6-oto-shite/)

You can find other verbs that take this type of と in [this
answer](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/55169/5010).

So Aを必要とする can be translated very literally as "to think of A as necessary",
but you can think Aを必要とする is a set phrase that just means "to require/need A".

> 植物は水と光を必要とします。  
>  Plants require water and light.

植物に水と光を必要があります is ungrammatical and makes no sense (ある is the only verb in the
sentence, but it's an intransitive verb that never takes を).


CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-10-16T16:27:35.653
101352
2023-10-16T16:27:35.653
5010
101349
answer